Vegas Golden Knights: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
Who are the Vegas Golden Knights best prospects after the 2020 NHL Draft?
Since coming into the league for the 2017-18 season, the Vegas Golden Knights have taken the NHL by storm. Prior to and even after their expansion draft during the 2017 NHL offseason, almost everybody expected them to be one of the worst teams in the league, and likely remain so for at least a few years.
Instead, they shocked the hockey world and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, the Cinderella story fell just short as the Washington Capitals were able to defeat them in five games. Still, their underdog story gained them many fans in a short period of time.
Fast forward to where we are now, and the Golden Knights have went from underdog to powerhouse. They have made many huge trades during their short time as a franchise, including bringing in Max Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens, Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators, and most recently landing defenceman Alex Pietrangelo via free agency.
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They have been forced to move young talent, prospects included. As a result, their prospect pool is not nearly as deep as many other teams, however given how their roster looks now it is impossible to fault general manager Kelly McCrimmon. Still, they do have a few nice prospects that are on the right path to lengthy NHL careers.
As mentioned in all previous top 8 prospect pieces, any players who have played more NHL games in a season than any other league, regardless of the season, will not be included. That is why notable names such as Cody Glass, Zach Whitecloud, Nicolas Roy, and Nicolas Hague will not be included. With that being said, here are the top 8 prospects in the Golden Knight’s system.
8. Connor Corcoran
While Connor Corcoran is by no means a top prospect, he has continually improved since being selected by the Golden Knights in the fifth-round (154 overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. At the time of being drafted, he had just finished his second season in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires where he put up three goals and 24 points in 63 games. The following season saw his goal total jump to 10, while posting 32 points.
This past season was his biggest improvement yet, as the now 20-year-old defenseman scored 19 goals and 54 points in what was his final year of junior hockey. This big leap clearly impressed the Golden Knights staff, who signed him to an entry-level contract in early June. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to professional hockey, and while he is certainly an unfinished project, he has both great size and offensive abilities.
7. Kaedan Korczak
Vegas has to be happy with the growth of their 2019 second-round (41 overall) pick Kaedan Korczak. The 19-year-old defenseman saw his point total jump from 33 to 49, despite playing eight less games this season. His 49 points led team in points by a defenseman, and was good enough for second on the entire team, trailing only Pavel Novak who finished with 55.
Like Corcoran, Korczak has a good frame at 6-foot-3, and moves surprisingly well for a big man. He uses his size to his advantage, as he loves to play physical, whether it is throwing big body checks or moving traffic from in front of his net. He will spend one more season in the WHL where he will look to continue improving his overall offensive game.